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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

My fence

I originally decided to fence off the entrance to our property because of Our Poacher, but he’s mellowed so much in the past year that he really doesn’t warrant a fence. Our Poacher is getting on in years, he doesn’t hunt much since his medical issues last fall, and he and his wife are overly fond of Yarrow, so I don’t really have much to worry about with him. Now, the fence is inspired by the interest and intrusion of our local government. The town hall had no interest in us when we first moved onto the land. We called all the appropriate people to get all the necessary permits, but those people were otherwise engaged, and didn’t really seem interested in our little homestead, so we went ahead with our plans and about a year later, the government descended in the form of the Code Enforcer. He seems to like dropping in unannounced, and so the fence is being built as a reminder that we are people with privacy concerns and limits to our patience; and we would appreciate a bit of a warning before the next visit.

The fence is also being built to continue the beautification of the land. When it’s done, I’m going to plant roses on one side, and replace the ugly trees with apple and cherry trees, so that in the spring, our land will greet the world with blossoms, and in the fall, we’ll have fresh fruit to share. My parents are bringing up some of the roses from their yard, and my in-laws are sending over some climbing roses with rose hips for teas and jams. With them growing along the fence we’ll have a bright and beautiful boarder.

I’m not getting rid of the curving beech tree, nor the big birches farther in. Just the scraggly pines, the small trees, and whatever brush and mess is clogging up the ground. A lot of the blackberry canes I’m hoping to move further in, where they can bask in the sunlight, spread, and make lots of berries.

I finished one side of the fence this past week, and now, starting the other, I’m getting a great impression of the finished look. Our land is always growing like that, small steps, a collection of half finished projects and blossoming ideas. Never stagnate, never over-bearing. It’s not a bad way to be.